dodge 1 of 2

noun

ˈdäj How to pronounce dodge (audio)
Definition of dodgenext
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end just another dodge to get out of working in the yard

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

dodge

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to weave
to move suddenly aside or to and fro dodging through the crowd on his way to the exit

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to circumvent
to avoid having to comply with (something) especially through cleverness always trying to dodge the landlord's rule prohibiting pets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to evade
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery dodged the horde of paparazzi by leaving through the service entrance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dodge
Noun
Florida has a new niche industry to help those who can afford it get out of dodge before a hurricane whirls ashore. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026 Ullrich sees the shift less as a dodge than as a new chair recalibrating how the institution talks. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 8 July 2026
Verb
Mendoza finished the night 17-of-23 for 237 yards and dodged an injury scare that onlookers feared could affect his second half availability. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026 One TikTok of the scrappy piggy dodging cars and darting between would-be animal rescuers’ legs racked up nearly a half million views. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dodge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dodge
  1. ruse
  2. weave
  3. circumvent
  4. evade
  5. scheme
  6. duck
  7. avoid
  8. escape
Noun
  • One such ruse, revealed by The Athletic in August 2024, involved a team of pickpockets being hired to teach his squad the importance of being ready, alert and prepared at all times.
    — Art de Roché, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Trial and later life The promise of immunity had been a ruse—as well as not legally binding—and Kiritsis was charged with kidnapping, armed robbery, and armed extortion.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruse
Verb
  • Brizé weaves between these absurd moments and two slow-simmering crises that cause Carla to begin doubting her diehard commitment to work.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Saigon is set in two different restaurants at two moments in time — 1990s France and 1950s Vietnam — as Nguyen weaves the lives and longings of strangers into an intimate and expansive story of connection in exile.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of weave
Verb
  • In 2026, independent arbitrators have also ruled against the administration’s efforts to circumvent labor agreements with some federal workers.
    — The Conversation, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • To get the work done, his administration has found ways to circumvent the procedural obstacles that tend to slow federal projects.
    — Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of circumvent
Verb
  • Garcia entered a plea and was convicted of evading police officers before his trial in June.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • During the Paris Commune of 1871, a socialist tailor named Herminie Cadolle experimented with corset design in the hope of allowing women to move around more freely and, presumably, evade the gendarmes.
    — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of evade
Noun
  • At 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, Spann-Ford has been utilized in the offense as a key part of its run block scheme while helping to pave the way for outside runs.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The Quebec duo’s face-concealing masks, geometrical hats and polka-dot fashion schemes might scream novelty, but its virtuosic, largely instrumental fare is the genuine article.
    — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of scheme
Verb
  • People forced to duck TikTokers and TMZ don’t want to expose every aspect of their incomes and daily lives to strangers, then live somewhere where everyone knows everyone’s business.
    — Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Paxton has so far failed to hold large campaign events and is ducking debates.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of duck
Verb
  • During the prime years of her career, while widely acknowledged as an exceptional Schubert singer with impeccable German diction, Anderson still avoided expounding on the music.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Bowman just got out from under a massive long-term contract (Darnell Nurse), and should avoid another with an aging (albeit substantial) talent.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • Smith, too, struggled to escape the clutches of a Burnley defence that saw Hjalmar Ekdal replace the tiring Igor midway through the second half.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Thieves broke into a museum devoted to the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir in the South of France early this morning, making off with four paintings by the French Impressionist before dropping two in the garden in their haste to escape.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of escape

Browse Nearby Words

doddery
dodge
dodged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dodge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dodge. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shofar

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All